


trace

by erenmin



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M, Romance, it's compliant with the og but has heavy inspiration from the remake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erenmin/pseuds/erenmin
Summary: In which Cloud Strife is full of surprises and hidden talents, piano playing included.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 8
Kudos: 62
Collections: Umbrella & Nailbat | Member Stories





	trace

**Author's Note:**

> this is extremely self-indulgent, but i also got inspired after playing around with the piano in nibelheim in the og game and then madam m describing cloud's hands graceful and elegant brought on this monster. plus, hands.
> 
> cloud was playing [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5rHzYqiGBw&list=PLpcyNWlpcDIoek2NHU8tm9I15WRoMuN64&index=32) because this game continually and abundantly feeds my indulgences when it comes to clerith and making them as disgustingly romantic as possible
> 
> i have also adopted the headcanon of aerith's calloused hands and cloud's soft baby hands and will run to the grave with it

Cloud hadn’t lied when he said that ghosts weren’t his thing.

Yet here he was, stuck at the Ghost Hotel in the middle of a (fake) graveyard with jumpscares galore that he almost cut down each time he was met with something jumping out at him or dropping in front of him whenever he so much as tried to check into a room for the night. He should be glad that the room was free, but he would pay anything to not have to sleep in the same room as a sarcophagus that glowered various hues. 

That’s the reason he gave himself as to why he couldn’t retire to his room quite yet. 

Cloud had to admit that he had a great view from the window in his private room, but it didn’t matter much now that the fireworks had passed and the Gold Saucer had closed for the night. He concluded that the view from the gondola was worlds better than from his window, especially as it zipped around the park and he got to watch it from different angles and heights. He also had an inkling in his mind that being able to watch it with Aerith improved the experience, but he would never admit that to her in fear of being called a sap. 

She had finally settled her debt for his bodyguard work with her promised date and while mostly embarrassing, he never wanted the night to end, especially in the manner it had. Chasing after Cait Sith and watching the Keystone he had fought so hard for be thrown to Shinra so effortlessly felt like punch to the gut, and it made Cloud feel some sense of responsibility as if he had done all that fighting for Shinra the entire time if he had trusted Cait Sith so easily. 

The excitement of being with Aerith wearing off had made Cloud aware of his body’s tiredness and he was already beginning to feel sore as he and Aerith made their short walk back to the hotel together in silence, each step feeling heavier despite the usual weight of his sword being absent. He walked Aerith to her room and she bid him a goodnight with a quick thanks and a pinch to his chin, and he stayed put until she finally closed the door. Cloud glanced at his own door just to the right of Aerith’s and this was where he was met with creating whatever excuse he could come up with to not go through it, and while the ghoulish vibe did keep him away from his room, he knew that he would not be able to lay down or fall asleep despite his body craving it as the fatigue begun to set in thanks to his racing mind. 

Aerith was at the forefront of his mind, her actions and demeanor when they first arrived at the hotel throwing Cloud and the rest of the group off. Cloud had never seen her so distant, so quiet since meeting her but he could tell that Cosmo Canyon and the information it brought affected her in a way that he couldn’t quite make out. Then only an hour or two later she had turned up in his room with a familiar mischievous smile and pushed him out the door to engage in the festivities for free thanks to it being Enchantment Night, forcing him into an improv play that was moritifying but Aerith had enjoyed, and then she had become cryptic in the gondola, Cloud not quite understanding what she meant when she said she wanted to meet him. While being with Aerith wasn’t draining (quite the opposite), the back and forth of her changing demeanors throughout the night made Cloud feel like he couldn’t quite catch his breath as he tried to keep up.

Anxiety and restlessness started to overcome Cloud the longer he stood at Aerith’s door, that he tore himself away his spot and went down the stairs and for once he was glad to not have his sword on him because he knew he may actually slash or destroy the next thing that tried to scare him and he knew he didn’t have the money to pay for damages, not after he was drained by having to pay for yet another single pass. He managed to steal a glance at her door once more as he entered the lobby, turning right to explore the rest of the hotel and what it had to offer. 

He found himself in the wing of the hotel that perpetuated the blood red interior and contained conference rooms and various sitting areas. The silence indicated that none of the rooms were being used and it sent a shiver down Cloud’s spine, feeling as if he were back in the train graveyard with only the ghost children there to keep him company. He wanted to reach for his sword but he was well aware of the missing weight that he carried on his back and left him feeling incomplete and naked as he kept on catching glances at his bare hands. He started down the corridor slowly past all the closed doors that he noticed were covered in spider webs which he couldn’t decide whether it was decoration or due to underuse. He continued on until he spotted an open doorway to his right and he turned in, bracing himself for what lurked in the darkness. 

Instead the light switched on as he entered, radiating from an old, dusty chandelier that hung in the middle of a grand-sized room with red flooring the same as the lobby and brown paneled walls that had one large window opposite the door that had an even more breathtaking view than Cloud’s room (but it still didn’t quite live up to the gondola either). The room looked as if it hadn’t been used in months as he observed the large spider webs that were built in each corner of the room yet only object in the room was a grand piano that was a sleek black with a matching bench, and it looked as good as new and perfectly polished. Cloud honestly was surprised at the fact that it was a piano and not an organ given the overall aesthetic of the place, but he found himself approaching the instrument with caution, as if something were going to jump from inside of it. He sat down at the bench and was filled with memories of when he used to play in Nibelheim whenever he would go to Tifa’s house, and recently when they returned to a rebuilt Nibelheim that was standing as if the destruction never took place.

Cloud was almost afraid to touch the piano, as if it would collapse under his touch despite its seemingly pristine condition if he wasn’t gentle. He took his hands and placed them over the keys like he remembered, playing random keys and aimless rhythms as he gave himself a small warmup. Cloud found himself transitioning into the nameless tune he learned as a child and he settled into playing, as he felt his body relax and he soon forgot the soreness all over. 

He only stopped when he heard faint footsteps coming from where he had walked previously down the hall, tensed all over again. He relaxed again when Aerith’s head peeked into the doorway, a small smile on her face.

“Why’d you stop?” She asked as she fully stepped into the doorway, her hands folded behind her back and her head tilted to the side in question. Cloud suddenly felt his face catch fire, and he quickly turned his head to look out the window in a futile attempt so Aerith couldn’t see him.

“Thought you were in your room for the night,” Cloud replied, avoiding her question. “How did you find me?”

“Didn’t hear you go into your room,” she shrugged, and started to walk into the room toward him. “And when I left my room to check on you I saw you go into the corridor so I followed your path, then your sound.”

Cloud was now sat stiff on the bench, and tensing his muscles only made them protest more, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at Aerith. He was still slightly overwhelmed from their date, and being caught doing something like this didn’t help either. All he could do was keep his hands folded together perfectly in his lap and his head bowed down as he stared down at them. Before he knew it Aerith had joined him on the bench and left no space between them, firmly pressed to his left side.

“Didn’t know you could play.”

“I’m just full of surprises.”

“I guess you are,” she laughed, and Cloud felt himself go warm and start to relax slightly.

He shrugged. “Just something I learned when I was little.” He placed one hand back on the piano. 

Aerith nodded at his statement. “...I wanted to apologize for being so cryptic during the ride earlier. I didn’t mean to put you off or anything.” Cloud looked at her and she still had that same warm smile, but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. 

“Don’t apologize. I know it’s been a lot for you since Cosmo Canyon,” Cloud brushed off her apology. “Tonight wasn’t exactly easy either, considering what we’re doing tomorrow. Are you ready?”

“I think so. I’m feeling a lot of emotions about it,” she sighed. 

Cloud nodded at her answer and he placed his other hand on the piano, and he started to experimentally press on the keys again instead of replying to her since he had nothing else to say. He looked down at his hands and he could feel Aerith’s eyes on him too, as if she were trying to analyze his movements. He picked up from where he left off before Aerith made her presence known and he didn’t dare take his eyes from his hands, afraid to meet Aerith’s gaze. His hands moved gracefully and elegantly across the instrument as he reached out to the rest of it and he felt as if Aerith was trying to read him like Madam M had back in Wall Market. He found that instead of the unease he had felt with the pressure of her thumb all over his palm, he felt total comfort and an easy openness of himself to Aerith with his own actions and bared himself to her with his revealed hands as she kept a safe distance and let him come to her. He saw her face out of his peripheral vision and he saw a look of awe that he had only seen a handful of times, when he had danced at the Honeybee Inn weeks ago and earlier tonight when he had gotten on one knee before her and left a kiss on her hand as Alfred. 

Cloud paused once more at her expression, and he cursed himself for looking because he had once again lost his nerve. He placed his hands on his lap again like before, and he didn’t think his face could get any hotter than it felt right now. He let out a shaky breath as he forced his head up to look at Aerith as the silence went on, and it was making him go mad because she always had something to say. She had a grin from ear to ear when he finally met her gaze, her eyes almost closed with the height of her cheeks. 

“Wow,” she breathed out. “Who knew you were the creative type? You can dance, you can act, piano!”

Cloud huffed out a laugh at her small outburst. “And you only get to see those once.”

“But you were my legendary hero! You saved me!” Aerith protested. “And now I cannot go without your piano skills now that I’ve seen it.” She reached down and took his hands in hers, and he realized that this was the first time he had actually touched her without his gloves in between them. He supposed that during the play was actually the first time, but the moment had passed as quickly as it came, and he didn’t get to really take note of her surprisingly calloused hands, and how they felt against his just as surprising soft ones. She seemed to have had the same realization as him, as she ran her fingers up and down his palms and lightly massaged the back of them with her thumbs, and Cloud let out a small sigh at the feeling, speechless.

“One and done rule for me,” Cloud finally spoke up, then felt his blood run cold at the implications of that sentence. He was ready to beat his head against the keys, let the morbid sounds of the piano drown out his embarrassment. 

“Oh yeah?” She raised an eyebrow. “Does that go for dates as well?” Cloud wondered how he hadn’t started bludgeoning himself into oblivion on the piano keys at this point, but he remained frozen as he started to stutter out an answer.

“Well--” he cleared his throat to compose himself, “--in this case, I don’t feel as if I’ve been paid accordingly.”

“Are you saying I’m not a good date?” Aerith took her hand from one of his to put on her chest as she feigned offense. 

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“It was interrupted by a wild goose chase for a robot spy.”

“Fair point,” she muttered. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it all goes perfectly next time. We’ll come here alone with no distractions or possible interruptions, and we’ll do more stuff next time, like I said! We’ll go on all the rides, bet on all the races, and I’ll make sure that Princess Rosa needs another saving by her legendary hero Alfred.”

Cloud snorted at the last promise, “I’m sure Alfred is perfectly fulfilled by saving the princess once.”

“Maybe next time the princess will give Alfred a better thanks with a proper kiss.”

Cloud sharply took in a breath, and he seriously could not figure out how he was continually heating up when it seemed impossible. Cloud instead ripped his hand away from Aerith’s and placed both back on the piano and started to play again so he didn’t have to answer and so Aerith couldn’t say anymore. Cloud noticed that it worked, as Aerith’s eyes were back on his hands entranced and she was silenced. She let out a small sigh and Cloud felt her head laid on his shoulder, and he tensed up as quickly as he relaxed.

He melted into Aerith’s touch as she did the same with him and he found his fingers moving more gracefully with her touch, and he closed his eyes as he let himself be taken by the moment and by Aerith’s warmth as they both let themselves be lost to the moment and forget about what was to come.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/erensmin)
> 
> feedback is always appreciated!


End file.
